The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-02
The State ROad,


Maj. A. o. Bacon was unfairly treated in
the House Friday There was nothing i'm
proper in his lending his legal knowledge
and skill in drawing up the resolution to
lease or sell the State road at the request Of
his friend, Mr.. Harrison. As was
announced by Mr.. Harrison. and
as was well known during the last Guber
Material canvass, Mr.. Bacon is opposed to
the sale of the road. Nor does the resolu-
ton provide for the sale. Its purpose is to
put the next Legislature in a position where
it can have a choice of action in
regard to the property If no
proper bid for the lease is made and fair
price is offered for the ownership of the
road it would be wise to accept the latter.
If no satisfactory offer is made for either
purchase or lease, the Legislature is not
beund-it can reject all bids and put
the property in the hands of
State officers to manage. In view of this
freedom of action, it is difficult to see any
ground for the charge that the resolution is
part of plot to steal the road and designed
to depreciate its value There is no propo-
sition to force it on the market. 1t is only
proposed to find out by actual com
petition the value put upon it, either under
lease or sale, by the men to whom it
would be most valuable. No matter what
the result of the bidding, the State would
not be bound to accept its result, and would
have acquired some valuable information at
a very small cost.
1t is we'll known that the MORNING News
has favored the sale of the road. The pur-
pose for which it was built has been served,
and 1t is now mere investment Of the
States money. II returns pretty fair in
terest, it is true, but not more than is
paid out on the same amount of the
State debt. 1t does not, therefore, lessen
taxation, and the claim that the income de
rived from it is necessary to the public
school system is a fallaeious one. If the
debt were extinguished by the sale of the
road, the money now paid out in interest
and other expenses attending it could be de
voted to the schools and would more than
make up the loss of the income now derived
from the road.
The owning of railroads, telegraphs, etc,
by the State is contrary to the Democratic
principles of government, and we
need to get back to those simple
principles as soon as possible The
State ought to have no debt, and no income
save that derived from direct taxation of
the people. When it is thus derived they
will watch its expenditure closely and even
grudgingly, and that is just what they
ought to do, but they will not deny to the
public schools anything that is necessary to
their we'll being.
At any rate, the running of a railroad, or
other business enterprise is not a proper
thing for the State to do. The purpose of
its existence is not to make money, but to
make and enforce good laws. As long as
the road remains the property of the State
it will be a disturbing element in politics
The distinguished Georgian who has
control of it now has often
been said to "carry Georgia in his
pocket" This is gross exaggeration, but
it indicates that his pocket is large and
influential Now Georgia does not care
how many of her citizens have large, full
pockets, and objects only to influential
ones, but as long as she has a
fine piece of railroad property that
will always make fortune for the men Gin
fluential" enough to lease it, she will be
afflicted with politicians of the commercial
school
What is wanted is to sell the road, pay
the debt, and let Georgia revert to the plain,
simple manner of life which is best for her
political reputation.